Zac Purton seized the momentum in his quest for the Jockeys' Championship with what could prove a pivotal three-timer at Happy Valley on Wednesday night and the trainers who supplied him the wins pledged their support as the season draws to a close.
Purton's hat-trick took him to 85 victories - 12 clear of Joao Moreira, who was winless and starts a three-meeting suspension after Sunday's Sha Tin meeting, and 18 ahead of 13-time champion Douglas Whyte with 19 meetings remaining in the term.
Caspar Fownes started the season slowly, but his resurgence is helping Purton gain traction late, the pair combining with Fun 'N' Games and Formula Won, while Dennis Yip Chor-hong gave the jockey three straight wins when Cour Valant scored.
"It's a vital time for Zac and every win right now is a bonus, so it is nice to be able to help," Fownes said, who jumped into third place in the Trainers' Championship with 40 wins.
Yip said he hoped Purton could break Whyte's 13-season stranglehold. "He has done a lot for me and he has worked hard to get where he has; he deserves to win it. I'll still be giving Douglas some rides, but Zac will get a lot of support," he said.
Whyte won't go away in the title chase - he kept his recent hot streak going with another win for leading trainer Tony Cruz, the pair forming an effective partnership of late.
Seasons Star's Class Four win was Whyte's sixth win in the month of April for Cruz, himself a six-time champion jockey, who claimed the South African was still an outside hope of defending his crown. "I wouldn't be giving up if I was Douglas," he said.
Cruz made it a double when 59-1 shot Beauty Sparkle caused a major upset in the last to keep the trainers own title hopes alive. He has 39 wins and trails leader John Size by eight.
"I certainly didn't expect Beauty Sparkle to win - but he did have barrier one and it was a perfect ride from Matthew [Chadwick, Seasons Star has had a lot of injuries.
"He seems to get galloped on all of the time, and then he got a quarter crack. He is better than Class Four and he proved it tonight."
Yip also had a double - and his first winner might have been the one that got away for Purton, but the trainer was still giving him credit, even if it was fellow Aussie Tommy Berry riding.
Pearl Star benefited not only from a five-point ratings drop from a poor performance that put him into Class Five, but a switch to the Valley's extended mile due to some advice from Purton.
"Zac rode him on the dirt last start and his advice was to bring him here, but when it came time to find a jockey he already had a ride," he said. Francis Lui Kin-wai's Panther Run caused the other big upset of the night when he stormed home to win a Class Four at 28-1.
"When an old horse like this wins, you don't expect him to win so soon afterwards," Lui said of the eight-year-old who won at similar odds three starts back. Karis Teetan rode his 42nd winner of the season when Sean Woods-trained Highland Dragon held on in a close finish, stewards briefly examining front on footage before declaring correct weight.
